Thousands of Internet web sites provide for various kinds of on-line transactions. In addition to so-called “e-commerce” web sites that offer goods and/or services for sale, many Internet web sites provide a host of on-line transactions directly over the World Wide Web that are not necessarily related to purchases. For example, some web sites disseminate information, some web sites provide various forms of multimedia content, and others provide computer software to visitors. A myriad of other kinds of transactional Internet web sites are publicly available and known to those skilled in the art.
In a typical transactional Internet web site, one or more hyperlinks are formatted as text and/or graphic controls (e.g., buttons, drop-down lists, check boxes, text boxes, images or the like) that enable users to indicate an interest in transacting with the proprietor of the web site. For example, a visitor to a web site selects an item of interest and is provided information about the item. Once the visitor selects a graphical screen control, such as a button labeled “proceed to checkout,” the web site enables the visitor to complete the on-line transaction with the newly added item.
Continuing with the present example, at this point the visitor has several choices available to him. For example, the visitor can select a control, such as a checkout button, which typically provides a display screen that prompts the visitor to submit delivery or payment information required to complete the on-line transaction. Alternatively, the visitor can continue to select more items of interest. Also, the visitor can amend the contents of an e-commerce shopping cart by removing items that are provided therein, or can change quantities of items already placed in a shopping cart.
A shortcoming in the prior art exists because a visitor who initiates an on-line transaction with a web site is simply able to terminate the on-line session, for example, by closing the web browser application. In most Windows-based web browser software applications, a visitor can select the X button in the top right portion of the windowed screen to terminate a communication session with a web site. Alternatively, the visitor can select File from a menu, and then select Exit from the File sub-menu. Moreover, a user of Windows-based web browser software can effectively terminate on-line session with an e-commerce web site by pressing the ALT key and F4 key simultaneously, or by pressing the CTRL key and the F4 key simultaneously. Further, a user can click a mouse button over an icon representation in the WINDOWS TASKBAR and select a menu choice, such as “Close,” from a respective menu. Still another method to terminate an on-line session involves simply navigating or “surfing” to another web site.
For example, a visitor can enter a uniform resource locator (“URL”) in an address bar in a web browser software application for a different web site in a browser address bar and be presented with a different web site, thereby terminating the communication session with the proprietor's web site. Alternatively, a hyperlink to another web site may be provided in the proprietor's web site, thereby enabling the visitor to terminate his session with the web site and begin a new session with the web site identified in the hyperlink.
Thus, there are many ways for an on-line shopping session to terminate prior to the completion of an on-line transaction.